Rukh's Guidance
by sapphermine
Summary: A series of one-shots mostly focusing on Alibaba. [2nd story: A Balbadd AU, where Alibaba never left Balbadd and where he, and Aladdin, meet for the first time. 3rd story: (SinbadxJa'far) A story where Sinbad and Ja'far make preparations to start their own little family.]
1. Dorm AU: First Meetings

AN: Since there were so much bunnies to slay, and I suck at doing epic stories, I decided to just keep it simple and made them all kinda-oneshots. To anyone who has come to read these stories, I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed thinking and writing about them.

**Dorm AU;** wherein Alibaba and Kassim and Hakuryuu and Judal have to live together in one dorm room.

Alibaba – 15, junior highschool  
Kassim – 16, highschool  
Hakuryuu – 15, junior highschool  
Judal – 17, highschool 

**First Meetings**

Flicking his cigarette away, Kassim eyed their new school and muttered, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Alibaba rolled his eyes at his friend, "You always have a bad feeling about everything. How's this any different?"

"And I hate this uniform," Kassim continued, ignoring his friend, "It's too oppressive."

"How is a uniform oppressive?!" Alibaba asked, staring incredulously at the older boy, "If you didn't want to come, you could've said so, you know. No one was forcing you to."

Kassim nodded, "Hmm… That's true. But then," he said, shrugging as he walked ahead, "You would've been alone. And that really wouldn't do."

Alibaba stared at his friend, surprised. Kassim was never one for chick-flick moments. The older boy hated being hugged or coddled, even by his own younger sister. He was aloof most of the time, and most other kids never dared come near him because of his attitude. He was crude, and violent, and had low tolerance of other people. At one point, he had even formed his own gang, made up of delinquents like he had believed himself to be.

At that time, Alibaba had been locked up in his own home, trying his best to please a father who couldn't even make time for his own son. It was only when Mariam came to him, crying and begging and pleading for him to save her brother that he had learned what happened to his friend.

It was a long fought battle, both with Kassim and with his own family, but Alibaba couldn't find any regrets in the decisions he'd made. It was true that he couldn't go back to his own home, not yet, not with his brothers taking over Balbadd, but he had Kassim and Mariam with him, so why shouldn't he be happy?

Smiling brightly, Alibaba ran over to Kassim and draped an arm around the others' shoulders. And, with a smile that reached from ear to ear, declared, "So you do like me that much after all!"

Weighed down by the much shorter Alibaba, Kassim protested loudly as he tried to extract himself from his friend. But as much as cursed and shoved at Alibaba, both of them knew none of his words nor were his actions the truth.

Because as grateful as Alibaba was to have Kassim with him here, Kassim was infinitely more grateful that Alibaba had never given up on him.

He owed Alibaba his future. So coming to this new school with Alibaba? It was nothing, because Kassim was willing to do much, much more for the other boy.

"Hey, Kassim?"

"Yeah?"

"I really, really think we're gonna be okay here."

Kassim thought for a moment, then nodded. Following behind a now enthusiastic Alibaba inside the campus, Kassim couldn't help but smirk.

Despite his supposed misgivings about their new school, Kassim had never thought, even for one moment, that they wouldn't be all right. Because even though Alibaba looked like a wimp and for all intents and purposes acted like one, that golden-haired idiot could honestly take care of himself.

What worried Kassim the most was,

"Hey! Pick on someone your own size! Aren't you ashamed of yourself, you idiotic hulk!"

Kassim groaned.

No. Kassim had never worried about others picking on them. He was more worried on what harm Alibaba would do to himself in trying to save others.

Shaking his head at his friend, Kassim stepped forward and prepared to intervene.

He was beaten to it though by another boy, whose face was partly burned.

"Stop it this instant!" he ordered, his voice immediately stilling the movements of all the students in the entire hallway. "Do you want to catch the attention of Judal this early in the morning?"

Curiously, at the mention of that name, everyone tensed even further. Taking the opportunity, Kassim sidled next to Alibaba and caught the other boy's arm, a precaution in case the golden-haired idiot decided to make a bigger scene.

"I wonder who that is," Alibaba whispered, his eyes not leaving the newcomer.

Kassim shrugged, "Who knows. But at least he prevented you from making a further fool of yourself. What were you thinking?" he hissed, making sure that no one was listening, "That old man Sinbad told us not to draw attention to ourselves and yet, at our very first day you do just that! _Do you want to get yourself killed?_"

Alibaba started, then looked guiltily at Kassim, "Yeah, sorry. Thanks Kassim."

Satisfied that his friend had finally understood their positions, Kassim motioned towards their savior and said, "Looks like he's wrapped things up already. Wanna ask him where the principal's office is?"

But there was no need, "Hello. I take it you are the transfers?"

Alibaba and Kassim blinked. And while Alibaba asked how the other knew, Kassim couldn't help but be suspicious.

"It's been a few months since the school year began and since I don't recognize your faces, the only assumption logical would be that you were new. Besides, as part of the student council, it's part of my job to know these things. I've actually been tasked to take you to the principal's office this morning. Shall we?"

Alibaba and Kassim looked at each other, then at the back of their supposed guide who was already walking ahead and then back at other.

"After you, my prince."

Alibaba rolled his eyes at his friend then he laughed and said, "No, no, Kassim-_senpai_. After you."

Kassim smirked, "'Senpai', huh? That actually has a nice ring to it."

"Savor it," Alibaba said, laughing, "Because that's the last time you're gonna hear that from me!"

Catching up to their guide, Alibaba, ever the friendly one, walked beside the other boy and said, "My name's Alibaba and the rude one is Kassim. Thanks for going out of your way for us!"

The other boy nodded then replied, "I have heard. My name is Hakuryuu. And you're welcome. This is nothing, really. Like I said, it's my job."

Laughing sheepishly, Alibaba scratched the back of his head as he replied, "Well, thank you for this too but I was saying thanks for what you did back there. I would've had my ass handed to me, and on my first day too, if you hadn't stepped in!"

A few steps behind them, Kassim snorted as he added, "You should've just minded your own business in the first place, you idiot of idiots."

Alibaba turned back and glared at his friend but before he could say anything to defend himself, Hakuryuu turned towards Kassim and said, "I actually thought it was pretty admirable of him. You don't get to see people going out of their way for others nowadays after all."

Surprised, Alibaba stared at the other boy. Kassim however, merely nodded, "I know. You aren't so bad yourself, student council."

At the unexpected praise, both Alibaba and Kassim were surprised to see their seemingly stoic guide blush so deeply.

"U-um, w-well, thank you, Kassim-san. Th-this way please."

Staring at their now awkwardly walking guide, Alibaba and Kassim grinned at each other before following after the other boy.

Kassim, ever the opportunist, draped an arm around the younger boy's shoulders and asked, "So, Hakuryuu-kun, what interesting things can you tell us about this school?"

"We-ell, what do you want to know?"

"I don't know," Kassim shrugged, "Oh, how about this 'Judal' person?"

And again, at the mention of the name, all the students within hearing distance stopped before quickly resuming their activities.

"That's a really interesting reaction," Alibaba commented on the other side of Hakuryuu, "What's he like? Is he like, the big bully boss or something?"

At this, Hakuryuu shrugged, "I wouldn't exactly say he's the 'boss'. But, most of the students find him terrifying. And with reason, too."

"And the teachers don't do anything about this?" asked Alibaba. Kassim made a mental note at that. Once Alibaba made up his mind about these things, there was no stopping him.

"They do," Hakuryuu answered. Then he sighed, "It's just, well… Judal is," again, the pausing of everyone within range, "He's a little different. I think that people misunderstand him, is all."

"Really now?" Alibaba muttered, prompting Kassim to make a mental note again.

"Anyway," Hakuryuu said, finally showing a smile, "It's good you aren't scared of him already. I mean, with everyone showing reactions like that and all."

"I'm just here to learn," Kassim said, ignoring Alibaba's snort upon hearing these words. "I don't really care about these things."

"Good!" Hakuryuu said. And then he turned towards them and added, "Because, you know, since you started in the middle of the semester, all the rooms in the dorms are already occupied. Usually, students on the same grade stay together, but since there are no rooms left, you two will be staying in one room. Along with two other students."

"Any idea who the two students are?" Kassim asked, elated that keeping an eye on Alibaba was going to be much easier.

"Yes, actually," Hakuryuu answered. "One of them is me."

At this, Alibaba whooped, "Hey, that's great! Let's get along with each other from now on!"

"H-hai, Alibaba-san," the other boy responded, unused to such enthusiasm.

"And the other one?" Kassim prodded.

Hakuryuu smiled, "Like I said, it's good that you aren't scared of Judal," cue the pausing, "Because he's staying in the room with us, too!"

Kassim and Alibaba looked at each other. Then Kassim sighed and said, "I knew I had a bad feeling about this."

* * *

AN: I may upload one more kinda-oneshot later on, so watch out for it. A teaser, for anyone interested:

_No one from outside the castle has ever seen the third prince of Balbadd. Everyone though has heard numerous rumors about him—that he was arrogant, egotistical, a cruel master; that he was cunning and deceitful, and that he was, even at this very moment, thinking of a way to usurp his own father._

Also, I'm accepting prompts! If the bunnies pop up, I may write some of them~

Thank you, thank you for reading!


	2. Balbadd AU: The Magi and his King

The backstory in my head:

Aladdin - Didn't meet Alibaba first and, by fate, met Sinbad and for three years is being taught by Yamraiha. Because he never had someone to go on adventures with, and because of Sinbad's warnings of the cruelty of the world and his important role in it, Aladdin had rarely left the island and so is a little naive with the ways of the world.  
Alibaba - Was able to meet Kassim before Al-Thamen did and so that attack on the castle never happened. Rashid, his father the King, is still alive though severely ill. His oldest brother is temporary king and has forced Alibaba under house arrest, fearful that with support, his youngest brother would usurp him. Alibaba manages to sneak away using his tunnels, of course, trying to help his people in every way he could.

Kassim - Because he and Alibaba were able to talk things out before Al-Thamen began to tempt him with power, Kassim refused the offer. He's placed his faith in Alibaba, knowing from childhood that the other would be able to do the impossible, and had vowed to protect him. With this, Kassim secretly formed the Fog Troupe.

**Balbadd AU**

No one from outside the castle has ever seen the third prince of Balbadd. Everyone though has heard numerous rumors about him—that he was arrogant, egotistical, a cruel master; that he was cunning and deceitful, and that he was, even at this very moment, thinking of a way to usurp his own father.

Aladdin had always pictured the third prince to be a huge man, with abs that rivaled Sinbad, with arms and legs as strong as Masrur, and whose cunning matched Jafar's. He told as much to Kassim, the young guide Sinbad had hired for him as he went around Balbadd for the first time. Kassim though, merely grinned at him, and said, "I'm sure the third prince of Balbadd would be happy to be compared to such famous figures."

"Have you seen him yourself, Kassim-san?"

At the question, Kassim looked at Aladdin for a moment, before smiling as if in reminiscence of something, "I may have."

"And? And?" Aladdin asked, interested, "What was he like? Was he as tall as Masrur-san? Was his smile as mysterious as Spartos-san? Did he do anything evil like all the stories say he does?"

Chuckling at his enthusiasm, Kassim asked, "Why the interest, Aladdin-san—,"

("It's just 'Aladdin', Kassim-san!")

"I mean, they're just stories. I'm sure you've heard a lot more interesting ones around these parts. Besides, you are a Magi, yes? I can't imagine why one with a status like yours would take an interest in this."

Aladdin just shrugged at Kassim, then said, "I don't really know. My teacher, Yam-san, didn't want me coming here, you know. She said it was a dangerous place."

"It is a dangerous place," Kassim agreed, thinking about the ever increasing poverty, the hunger and the steep death rate. Balbadd right now wasn't a good place to be. Ever since the King Sinbad had acquired of his services as a guide, Kassim had wondered why people of such status were willing to come to this country. He had asked, but the answer he received was, 'To revive the trade between Sindria and Balbadd once again'.

Kassim didn't think Sinbad would be successful. Not with that poor excuse of a 'King' ruling over Balbadd.

If only King Rashid hadn't fallen ill. If only he could get his idiotic friend to take action!

"But you know," said Aladdin, snapping Kassim from his thoughts, "For some reason, I felt that I just had to come here. I don't know much about magic yet, but I have a strong feeling that this is because of the rukh's guidance."

"'Rukh'?"

Aladdin nodded as he smiled brightly. Then he turned around and asked, "Where are we now, Kassim-san?"

"You said you wanted to look for gifts for your friends, right? The market's the perfect place for that."

"Great! Pisti made me promise to get her something. And Sharrkan-san wanted me to get myself a knife for protection. For Yam-san, I think I'd get her something shiny!"

Just as they were about to enter the market proper, a commotion to their right caught Aladdin's attention. It was not so much as the shouting that made him look, but the great amount of black rukh flowing from that direction. Startled, he stepped away from Kassim, only to have his arm held back by the elder boy.

"You should leave them be."

"But—,"

"Come, Aladdin-san. People of your stature shouldn't sully themselves with common problems."

Aladdin frowned, "That's wrong. And you know it."

Kassim glanced down at the younger boy and shrugged, "I know it. Everyone knows it, but no one does anything about it. There's nothing wrong if you aren't any different."

"There is!" Aladdin insisted, "My best friend Ugo-kun told me that to not take action when we are fully capable only leads to depravity. It's the reason why the world has come to such a sorry state—because even though we have the ability to help each other, we don't. And as a Magi, it is my duty to—,"

"Sir," a clear, confident voice sounded, distracting Aladdin, "The lady here has children she needs to feed. The only thing she was taking from you was your near rotten goods."

The owner of the store, a fat, bulging man who towered over the two figures before him snorted and haughtily replied, "If she has children to feed, then perhaps she should sell herself to earn it! Balbadd's economy is in shambles ever since that idiot prince took up temporary authority! My business is suffering, too! And this," he said, grabbing the near soiled fruits the woman had attempted to steal, "Is _mine_! _I_ am in need of help too! _I_ am suffering too! Why should _I_ help this woman who can't even earn enough for her own family? _I_ need to earn to feed my family too!"

Due to the shouting, a crowd had gathered around the three. Among them, there were murmurs of agreement with the man. No one in Balbadd was left untouched by the dying economy. Everyone had to work doubly hard. Everyone found the man's words completely logical. What right did the woman have to get such goods for free? Everyone else was suffering. If her children were dying from hunger, well! It's not like they knew her children! She was a stranger, and her plight had nothing to do with them.

The young man whose voice distracted Aladdin, nodded at the owner, "It's true," he replied, to the dismay of the woman kneeling on the floor who then began to weep, "All of us need to work harder for our families. Why should this woman be given food when all of us work our lives off just to put food on our tables at the end of the day? Why should we help her, when no help is given to us? This is all true. But," he continued, stepping towards the store owner as he plucked the fruits from grubby hands, "These fruits can't be sold. And even if you tried, your business would only decline for you would be known as the fruit stand who sold rotten goods. You weren't even going to sell them in the first place, correct? This lady didn't take these fruits from your stall, sir," he said, and, gesturing at the boxes swarming with flies, continued, "but from your rubbish. You have no need of these, sir. Why not give them to this woman?"

Face contorting with anger at being talked to in such a way, the owner pointed violently at the young man and yelled, "What would a lowly-born bastard like you know about business, child?! If I say these fruits are mine, then they are mine to do as I please! And I will _not_ give them to a thief! You should mind your own hide, brat! Now go before I decide to call the army! Your mere presence rots my fruits!"

To the surprise of Aladdin, instead of replying anger with anger, the young man simply sighed deeply and shook his head. "It's so terribly sad," he murmured, as he helped the lady to her feet, "How suffering could twist people so much that we fail to care for anyone other than ourselves."

At the young man's quiet words, the black rukh that had gathered around the crowd trembled and began to disappear. Amazed, Aladdin could only stare in awe at the miracle.

As the young man finished brushing off the dirt from the woman's clothes, with a gentle smile on his face, he looked at her and said, "Perhaps next time, you should try asking first before taking. Because I am sure that there are people out there who may surprise you."

With those words he procured five gold coins from his pouch and gave them to the woman, "Now go and buy food for your children."

The woman, hardly able to speak, shook her head and moved to give the coins back to the young man, "N-no, young master. I won't be able to give these back to you."

"And I don't want them back," he answered, "Use them as you need it."

Overwhelmed with gratitude, the young woman burst into tears and profusely thanked the young man. Watching the woman go, Aladdin could not help but smile at the sight of pure golden rukh following in her wake.

Once again, murmurs in the crowd drew his attention away.

"Do you think he's a son of a lord?"

"I didn't think there was a kind nobleman!"

"You idiot, look at his clothes. They're as dirtied as any of ours. I say he's a thief!"

"Not a chance! Didn't you hear him speak a while ago? I've only heard the educated talk like that!"

Curious as well, Aladdin turned to Kassim and asked, "Do you know who that is, Kassim-san?" But, to Aladdin's surprise, Kassim's expression looked murderous. And before he could ask the other what was wrong, Kassim had darted towards the middle of the crowd and pulled the young man away.

As the two young men were coming his way, Aladdin began to here snippets of their conversation:

"I was talking to him, Kassim!"

"So? That pig of a man would never be kind! You're just wasting breath on him!"

"But—!"

"No buts! Do you want to get mobbed?! How could you show yourself in public like this?!"

"Kassim—!"

"And by the way," Kassim cut in, ignoring the other's words, "I'm holding you accountable if I don't get paid the full amount after this tour!"

"What?! How is that my fault?"

"Because I said so, you idiot!"

Upon reaching him, Aladdin quickly intervened with, "It was amazing what you did back there, onii-san!"

Surprised, the two young men stopped their bickering and turned to Aladdin.

Recovering quickly, the young man smiled sheepishly at him before replying, "Honestly, that was probably a fluke. I'm usually a coward with these things."

Seeing Kassim roll his eyes at that, Aladdin couldn't help but wonder what it meant.

"Go back," Kassim suddenly ordered, "You're lucky no one recognized you yet."

"But that's just it!" the other exclaimed, eyes bright, "I was actually looking for you!"

"Why? How important is it that you couldn't wait till—," Kassim paused, looked at Aladdin and sighed, "Fine, what is it?"

The young man beamed, "I heard rumors that King Sinbad was here, and that he had plans to talk to my—to the acting king. I think this is our chance, Kassim!"

"You idiot!" Kassim groaned, glancing quickly over at Aladdin, "You stupid idiot! You really have the worst timing."

Before the other could question Kassim, Aladdin asked, "Do you need anything from Sinbad-ojisan? I could ask him for you!"

The young man looked questioningly at Aladdin then and replied, "'Ojisan'?" Turning to Kassim, he asked, "Was your big client this morning…?"

Kassim sighed, "Like I said. Bad timing."

The young man could only stare in disbelief at Aladdin, "You're the Magi?"

Aladdin smiled happily in response, "Yes! My name is Aladdin. Onii-san, you are?"

Before he gave Aladdin an answer, the other looked quickly at Kassim, as if asking permission, then shrugged and said, "Alibaba. My name is Alibaba."

"Alibaba-kun," Aladdin repeated, as if testing the name out. Suddenly, and seemingly without reason, Aladdin _felt_ this meeting was meant to be. Saying the other's name out loud brought lightness to his heart that he had never felt before. Was it the rukh, perhaps? What was it trying to tell him?

Yam-san once told him that Magi chose Kings. It was their more prominent duty, to find and guide an individual who will be a leader of change, someone who will lead others towards the true future. A future guided by the will of the rukh.

"Say, Alibaba-kun," Aladdin asked, intently studying the other boy, "Why do you seek out Sinbad-ojisan? What chance were you speaking of a while ago?"

Alibaba and Kassim looked at each other, and then as if they could communicate by thought alone, Kassim replied, "It's nothing, Aladdin-san. You don't need to trouble yourself with things of no import like this."

As if transformed from that open-hearted boy from before, to a wise and powerful individual, Aladdin stood tall, looked straight at Kassim's eyes and said, "I beg your pardon, Kassim-san. A while ago, you said the same thing of that woman's plight with that stall owner, even while it was completely obvious that it was no small thing," turning decisively towards Alibaba, who flinched upon meeting his suddenly intense gaze, Aladdin asked, "But, Alibaba-kun. What do _you_ think? Is it really nothing important?"

There was silence between them for a few moments. And just when Kassim was about to protest, Alibaba answered, "No," he said, startling even himself. Looking apologetically at a wide-eyed Kassim, Alibaba turned fully towards Aladdin and said, "No. We need King Sinbad's help. I want to free this country from my brother."

At the surprised look from Aladdin, and the angry growl from Kassim, Alibaba smiled sheepishly as he said, "Yeah. Not much of a looker, am I? But I am a rightful heir to the throne. I don't want it. I don't think I'll ever be ready for it. But if it means bringing back Balbadd to what it once was, if it means bringing back the smiles on my people's faces, then I will endure everything to make it happen."

Aladdin smiled, all intensity gone in a blink of an eye. Nodding happily, he shook Alibaba's hand and said, "Good! I will do everything in my power to make it happen too!"

Surprised by the promise, Alibaba replied, "Magi-sama, are you sure this is okay? Balbadd is not even your own country! Why would you help us?"

"Because," Aladdin said, smiling brightly at Alibaba, "I want to help _you_. You gave that woman hope, Alibaba-kun. I have a strong feeling that you will be able to give many more people that same kind of hope."

And then, with a knowing gleam in his eyes, Aladdin said, "I think you'll be a great King one day, Alibaba-kun!"


	3. Family AU: Sinbad and Ja'far

**Family AU  
Part 1: Sinbad and Ja'far**

"Do you think we should adopt a boy or a girl?" Ja'far asked, at this point, for the fourth time, "I mean, if we adopted a girl, do you think she'll be able to learn womanly things with two dads? And if we adopted a boy, perhaps he'd be uncomfortable with us? Do you think kids will bully him because of us? We can teach him a lot of manly things, but—,"

"Ja'far," Sinbad sighed, at this point, for the hundreth time, "We aren't even _sure_ we're adopting." At his partner's glare, Sinbad flinched and amended, "I _meant_ we aren't even sure we've been qualified yet."

At the reminder of this, Ja'far turned solemn and muttered, "I really, really want this for us Sin. I know you'd be a great father. And I... well, I always wanted a family."

A little guilty for placing that frown on his partner's face, Sinbad smiled at the other and gently said, "Look, Ja'far. We've still got options, if this doesn't work out. They may think we aren't qualified to start a family, but we both know that isn't true. If you think that I'll make a great dad, then I think you'd be a great," Sinbad said, smirking at the other, "_mother_!"

Ja'far blinked, smiled ever so sweetly at his lover. Then proceeded to pound him mercilessly.

"Hey! Hey! Cut it out, love!" Sinbad begged, trying to defend himself while driving, "Do you want to kill us before we meet our babies? Ja'far, honey! Please, stop! JA'FAR!"

Rubbing the soon to be bruise on his shoulder, Sinbad followed after Ja'far within the halls of the orphanage.

"You didn't have to hit me so hard," he grumbled.

"You deserved it," replied Ja'far, "You're lucky I was being kind."

"I'm lucky? We're lucky we're still alive!"

Ja'far only scoffed at this before saying, "Oh Sin, why must you always be so melodramatic? Do you want our kid to grow up the same as you?"

"Why do you say that like it's a bad thing? A few hours ago, you were saying how I'd be an awesome dad! Were you just lying to me after all?"

Sinbad, however, never received an answer for at that moment, Ja'far's full attention was focused solely on the children in the room before them.

"Look at them, Sin!" he whispered, awed. "They're all so beautiful!"

Still stung by Ja'far's previous comment, Sinbad only muttered, "They look like little hell raisers, if you ask me. Why can't we get a baby instead? _Like we first planned_?"

As if struck, Ja'far immediately turned to Sinbad, an ominous frown marring his usually handsome face, "Weren't you listening to the lecture a while ago? Babies are often the most adopted! Children above five years of age usually have a harder time finding families or couples to take them in because they've already grown into their own personalities. Sometimes, they're passed on from foster home to foster home until they come of age. These children need us most, Sin!"

Unsurprised by Ja'far's passion, Sinbad drew his still fuming husband within his arms, and smiling tenderly at his life partner, lovingly said, "This is what I love about you the most, Ja'far. Despite all the things you've been through, you still find it in your heart to care deeply about other people. I'm sorry about what I said, that was callous of me. I just wanted to tease you, you know! You were being rude to me!"

His cheeks resting upon Sinbad's chest, Ja'far snorted at his lover's childish logic, "And your people wonder why I and Sharrkan and the others call you a big child. Seriously, Sin!"

Letting the other go, Sinbad merely laughed at Ja'far before taking his hand and leading him towards the room with the children. "I still think it's part of my charm."

Ja'far scoffed, "Maybe for underage girls."

"Hey," Sinbad grumbled, "I resent that!"

And before Sinbad could further defend his honor, a young woman came towards them with a huge smile on her face. "I suppose you're the couple the Director talked to me about? She tells me she has high hopes for you!"

Smiling politely at the woman, Ja'far, afraid his idiotic but well-meaning husband, would say something that would revoke their qualification, replied, "Thank you. It really means a lot to us to adopt a child. We've always wanted to start a little family of our own. I know that this is just your job, but thank you," Ja'far expressed, the now sincere smile on his face highlighting every handsome detail, "Thank you so, so much for trusting us. We promise to love the child as if he or she were our own."

Of course, _no one_ was immune to that smile. Blushing furiously, the woman swallowed and giggled, "Oh, I'm sure you'll do just fine, Ja'far-san! Please come by again if you have any questions! I may not have a family of my own, but I've worked here long enough to know a thing or two about children. You can also ask me about any of the children here. I have been taking care of most of them," tucking a non-existent stray strand of hair behind her ears, the woman shyly stepped closer towards Ja'far and continued, "If you have a characteristic in mind of a child that you like to adopt, Ja'far-san, I may be able to point you in the right direction."

Tilting his head as if in thought, something that made the woman blush even harder, Ja'far was about to say something when Sinbad, who was smiling just a little too brightly at the woman, dragged his husband towards him, trapping Ja'far firmly next to himself.

"_Thank you_ for your help," Sinbad gritted, smile going wider and more ferocious by the second, "But I'm sure _my_ _husband_ and I," he said, stressing on the words 'my' and 'husband', "Can handle things for now."

As if only realizing how she was acting, the woman paled and stuttered a, "Y-Yes. Please, g-go ahead. I just came over to say how grateful I am that you're doing this. These children really need a loving home."

The woman quickly bowed to them and then left.

Ja'far frowned and hit Sinbad at the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"For being rude!" Ja'far answered, crossing his arms over his chest, "If we get disqualified because of your actions, I'll never forgive you! Behave yourself, please!"

"B-but!" Sinbad pleaded, imploring, "I was just protecting you from that cougar!"

Ja'far had already gone ahead of him when he answered, "Don't make excuses!" And before Sinbad could whine any further, Ja'far hooked an arm around Sinbad's and dragged him towards the room with children, "Be on your best behavior now," Ja'far instructed as if to a little child, "We need to get kids to like us, not scared of us, okay?"

Rolling his eyes at _his_ worrywart, Sinbad, all transgressions forgotten, laughed merrily as he replied, "If I remember correctly, it was you who was so set against this idea. Of us adopting a child. I want this for us, Ja'far. I won't purposely botch things up."

"I remember," Ja'far replied, grinning ruefully at himself, "And look where we are now. You're capable of making good decisions after all."

Sinbad huffed, "I'd say I'm _awesome_ at making good decisions."

Letting Ja'far go on ahead of him, and watching his husband immediately interact with the first child he saw, he smiled to himself and added, "And you've always been one of them."

* * *

AN: Next part, if fortunate, will be Sinbad and Ja'far's meeting with Aladdin.


End file.
